Head Turner aims for breakthrough

The sixth running of the Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday promises to be the most fascinating yet. Billed as "the world's premier international jockeys' tournament", it brings together teams from Great Britain & Ireland and the Rest of the World which include, for the first time, two female jockeys. For Britain's Hayley Turner, it is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Her counterpart in the opposing team, the Canadian Emma-Jayne Wilson, is firmly established - she has been voted outstanding apprentice jockey in North America - but for Turner this year is all about building confidence, in her own ability and in that of trainers who must continue to support her now she competes with her fellow riders on level terms.

The first woman to be crowned champion apprentice - she shared the title last Flat season with Saleem Golam - Turner is only the fourth woman in Britain to ride out her claim after Alex Greaves, Emma O'Gorman and Lisa Jones. The last-named has departed to Macau in search of better riding opportunities, but Turner is determined to make a go of it here.

"My number of mounts (428 up to yesterday) is up on the same stage as last year, when I was still claiming 3lbs," says Turner, who has 21 winners on the board. "But the Shergar Cup is a great opportunity for me to get on some good horses."

Turner, 23, has been "horsey-mad" for as long as she can remember. Born in Nottingham, she was taught to ride by her mother, a riding instructor. "It was when I was about 16 I decided I wanted to be a jockey," says Turner. She graduated from the Northern Racing School and rode her first winner in June 2000. But it has been as apprentice jockey to Michael Bell at Newmarket that her career has flourished.

"The Shergar Cup is another step forward for Hayley," said Bell. "She is riding very well and is full of confidence. My owners all like her.

"As an apprentice it probably wasn't any harder for her being female," he says. "As a full jockey it's a bit more difficult. Perhaps she isn't getting the support from other trainers she might, but all the ones I have spoken to have been more than happy with Hayley's riding."

"Being female, it has probably taken longer to get going,"admits Turner. "But I've never found any resentment from other jockeys. I know Lisa [Jones] hadn't been doing so well for rides but she wasn't doing badly either. You need to give it a bit of time."

Inevitably, Turner's efforts on Saturday will come under the microscope when she teams up with champion jockey Jamie Spencer, the GBI captain, and the vastly experienced Mick Kinane, and competes against the likes of Frankie Dettori and six-times Hong Kong champion Doug Whyte. "I do look at various riders, but haven't modelled myself on anyone," says Turner. "You have to develop your own style."

That is crucial to Turner's on-going success according to Jason Weaver, who is team manager for the GBI squad. "The girl riders will hate me for this," says Weaver, who was a top-flight rider until retiring four years ago after constant weight battles. "But you have got to look at a full race and not pick out a particular rider. I think Hayley is on the verge of blending in.

"It's a massive effort on her part to be in Saturday's team," says Weaver. "Times are changing, but only slowly for women riders here. They seem to do better in the States. Luckily for them they had Julie Krone, so they are taken more seriously."

A winner for Hayley Turner in the Shergar Cup would be a major breakthrough in taking her career to the next level. The will to succeed is certainly there. "I don't want to be picked out as a good lady rider," she says. "I want to compete on equal terms."